Travel in Venice: the treasures of San Marco Square seen from Canal Grande

Canal Grande creeps in the heart of Venice as vital lymph: if you navigate its whole course with a steamboat, you may admire this unique city in the splendour of its Gothic and Renaissance palaces up until the most beautiful square in the world, San Marco Square.

"I believe that Canal Grande is the most charming and best built street in the world. And it goes through the whole city!" word of Philippe de Commynes, ambassador of Carlo VIII, who wrote this in the far 1495 about the canal going through the whole Venice, veritable vital lymph of the Venetian main city. After 500 years Canal Grande preserves all its charm, since it is flanked by marvellous palaces built in overs 500 years of history. We suggest a new sight on Venice: going along its main street, not on foot of course but by steamboat or, for those who can afford it, by gondola.

Our trip starts in the Santa Lucia railway station, built in the Mid XIX century and restructured in the Fifties, it is a veritable entrance to Venice. From here leave the main steamboat lines, but only the line nr. 1 navigates slowly (it stops at all stations) and allows to observe the princely palaces on Canal Grande, most of which take their name from the families to which they belonged.

The stretch from the railway station to the Zattere lasts abouts 40 minutes and goes along the 4 kilometers of the canal, which is between 30 and 70 meters wide and is crossed by three bridges, the Scalzi bridge, the Rialto and the Accademia ones.

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The first part of Canal Grande goes through the "sestrieri" (quarters) of Cannareggio, on the left in direction San Marco, and Santa Croce-San Paolo on the right. On this bank in front of the railway station raises the church of San Simeone Piccolo, built in 1730 taking inspiration from the Pantheon in Rome. Once you have navigated under the Scalzi Bridge, the first elegant Venetian palaces appear: Palazzo Gritti on the right and Palazzo Flangini on the left. Then the church of San Geremia, hosting the rests of Santa Lucia, and the adjoining XVII century Labia palace, regional seat of Rai (the Italian National Television).

In front of it there is Fondaco dei Turchi, which was a beautiful palace before the terrible restoration of a few years ago and hosts the Museum of Natural History. Between San Marcuola and San Stae you may admire on left, just after a little garden, the marvellous Renaissance Vendramin Calergi palace, winter seat of the Town Casino. It is the most beautiful palace in this stretch of canal and it became a model for many other Venetian palaces. It was designed by Mauro Coducci and was the last residence of the German composer Richard Wagner who died here in 1883.

The next stop is Accademia, where we can see the famous wooden bridge which was provisionally built in 1932 to replace the iron one, but citizens liked it so much that it was kept at its place. Just beside you may see the Galleries of Accademia (a former church, monastry and Charity School) exhibiting the widest collection of Venetian pictures in the world. After the bridge, on the right, there is Venier dei Leoni palace built in 1749 and never ended. It was bought in 1951 by the American patron Peggy Guggenheim and is now seat of her modern art collection. Beside it lays Barbarigo palace, unique for its beautiful mosaics, and the strange Dario palace. In front there is the imposant Corner della Ca' Granda palace, designed by Sansovino on order of one of the richest Venetian families, the Cornaro.

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If you get down the steamboat at the stop San Marco Vallaresso and walk in direction of the main square, you will pass in front of Harry's Bar, the worldly famous Venetian bar and the first of a chain which conquered the world, frequented by writers and artists such as Ernst Hemingway. Then you will walk through the Giardinetti Reali (Little Royal Gardens), created by Napoleon, go over the Zecca and you will find your self on the little square that gives access to San Marco Square, for sure one of the most beautiful squares worldwide (and the only "piazza" - square - in Venice, because all the others are called "campo") with its spectacular Basilica, testifying the connections between Venice and the Byzantine world, the Gothic Ducal Palace and the famous Bell Tower built to replace the one falled in 1902.

Closed on three sides by the Procuratie Vecchie (1514-1532), adjoining the Clock Tower with the famous Moors statues beating the hours, on the forth side the square is completely occupied by the San Marco Basilica, main church of the city where the Doges of Serenissima were consecrated. It was built in the XI century but went through many restructurations, although it mantained its characteristic Byzantine profile with a Greek cross plant and a central cupola entoured by four other cupolas. Inside it is covered with golden mosaics, the greatest richness of the Basilica, both for their extention and for their age. Its museum keeps watch over the original statues of the famous bronze horses set over the huge portal and pictures from the XV century.

Vacanze a Venezia

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